Latest R600 Rumor Mill Rumblings

The Inquirer reports that their sources are indicating that ATI...er...make that AMD...will be strictly offering the next generation R600 GPU with GDDR-4 memory. Initially, two codenames were developed to distinguish between a GDDR-3 variant (UFO) and a GDDR-4 model (Pele). On top of news that the GPU will launch in February instead of January, the latest decision to opt for the latest GDR-4 memory should assure some exceptional performance especially with 1GB's worth of memory. How will this new GPU stack up against a G80-refresh (likely at 80u) with higher frequencies? Per usual, time will tell though we can be sure the Rumor Mill will have some interesting tidbits long before these GPU's launch.

In the end, Nvidia went with GDDR-3 memory in its G80 line-up, but DAAMIT continued to develop both GDDR-4 (Pele) and GDDR-3 (UFO) variants. Being late on the market enabled ATI to optimise. However, bean counters at AMD recently gave a "go ahead" signal for full-GDDR-4 line-up. So, forget about the dual-SKUs, 1Gig and 2Gig versions, GDDR-4 is the only way DAAMIT will go .